SGB Chapter 258

## Chapter 258: The Economist

“The Reform Bill will be put to a vote again tomorrow. Prime Minister Charles Grey, Earl Grey, has issued a warning to members of his party: My patience has its limits!”

“The Whigs are in preliminary contact with the Tories, attempting to persuade the opposition to change their stance.”

“Duke of Wellington: My stance has always been consistent. I oppose any electoral reform that could shake the foundations of Britain.”

“Sir Robert Peel: Hopefully, Viscount Palmerston won’t get lost again during this vote.”

“Viscount Palmerston retorts: Don’t worry about me, I already have the map ready.”

“Reliable sources reveal that if the Reform Bill is again blocked, Earl Grey may consider requesting His Majesty the King to dissolve Parliament and hold a new election.”

Arthur, with his feet propped up on his desk, sank into his office chair, his face nearly buried in the newspaper headlines about the Reform Bill.

He muttered, “This is getting serious?”

Agareus, half-closing his eyes, took a sip of his steaming cup of tea. The Red Devil spoke, “Is Parliament putting on another long and boring performance of *Don Carlos*? I must say, that play was the worst thing I’ve seen in London in recent years. Long, boring, and utterly unentertaining.”

Arthur emerged from the pile of newspapers, revealing a pair of eyes. “Your taste is no different from Benjamin’s. He told me *Don Carlos* is the most anemic tragedy in British theatre history. I wonder if you share his opinion, and whether you would wear a corset just for a slender waist.”

The Red Devil simply snorted at this. “No, no, Arthur. Disraeli probably said that to curry favor with the Tory bigwigs. After all, he’s just joined the Tory party, so he has to pick a Whig star to attack. And Lord John Russell, the author of *Don Carlos*, is clearly the perfect target.

First, Lord Russell is famous enough, but his position within the Whigs isn’t in the first tier. He’s talented but has a bad temper and is a recluse. The older Whigs can’t stand his arrogance, and those around his age can’t tolerate his sarcastic tongue. Only those with less experience and no brains, young people under the influence of his idol halo, are willing to flock to him.

You have to admit, your Jewish friend knows how to pick his opponents. Attacking Lord Russell not only pleases the Tory bosses, but also makes some Whigs secretly happy. I’m still surprised that Disraeli would follow your advice and choose to join the Tories. I always thought he would choose the Whigs, who are relatively friendly to Jews. After all, even Rothschild has shown his desire to abandon the Duke of Wellington and switch sides.”

Arthur lit a cigarette and took a drag. “Why would he? Benjamin is a clever man. He knows how to buy low and sell high. He’s not like Alexander, who doesn’t know his place. Rothschild can switch his support because the Whigs are willing to accept a wealthy family that can cause a financial earthquake in London. Benjamin, at best, is a famous fashion novelist, plus the editor of *The Englishman*. For the Whigs, who are riding high, such a young man is neither a loss nor a gain. Why would they give him a position of responsibility?

But it’s different for the Tories. They’ve just lost their position of power, and their public image is terrible. Whether it’s *The Times*, *The Manchester Guardian*, which are relatively neutral, or *The Observer*, a radical publication, they all denounce the Tories as the source of Britain’s corrupt politics. If they can get a novelist with a good public image, a political outsider with little black history, it’s not a big gain, but it’s something.

Besides, Benjamin’s political slogan is very clever. He calls for rediscovering the old aristocratic spirit that has been forgotten, praising the idyllic life in the countryside, and blaming the moral decline of society on the materialism brought about by the Industrial Age. I heard that the clergymen seem to be very receptive to his views, and the young aristocrats also endorse his ideas.

As for Sir Robert Peel, although Benjamin’s views conflict with his, he hasn’t publicly opposed them out of a need to unite the party. From the current momentum, it seems that the Tories all believe that replacing Bernie Harrison’s seat with Benjamin is a very appropriate choice.”

Agareus covered his mouth and pretended to be surprised. “Oh! Arthur, what are you saying? Do you think this is right?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Right? No, I just think Benjamin’s proposal is at least better than Bernie Harrison. Agareus, you’ve witnessed the rise and fall of human society for thousands of years. You should know that most of the time, we’re just going from bad to worse. Now, we’re lucky to avoid the worst. How can I expect him to be right? Besides, although Benjamin is a bit flamboyant, he’s very adaptable. He’s even willing to wear a corset for a slender waist, so what else can’t he do?”

As he spoke, Arthur pulled out a document from a stack of papers on his desk and pointed to the entry in Disraeli’s file. “According to what I discussed with him the other day, he’ll probably attack the Whigs on the issue of child labor as soon as he becomes an MP. I’m satisfied with that for now. That’s enough. Besides, once Benjamin is elected, Bernie Harrison will be arrested by Scotland Yard the next day. I assure you, he’ll have a tough time then.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

The office door was pushed open, and a Scotland Yard officer wearing a neat uniform and carrying a stack of documents entered.

Arthur looked him up and down, couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

It’s crazy, even a mouse can be a bridesmaid for a cat.

He thought before that, with Louis Bonaparte’s identity, the Foreign Office wouldn’t easily grant him British citizenship. Even if he got citizenship, his uncle and mother wouldn’t let him become a policeman.

After all, even ordinary Londoners wouldn’t think of Scotland Yard police as a high-end profession. They still distinguish between the detectives in *The Hastings Detective Series* and the Scotland Yard officers.

But despite all these disadvantages, Louis Bonaparte was here.

Arthur looked at Louis Bonaparte, who stood tall like a sharp sword, and said, “I have to say, that uniform looks better on you than I thought.”

Louis Bonaparte seemed indifferent. He closed the door and said, “What’s the big deal? Even during the Napoleonic Wars, the French army purchased many of its uniforms from Britain. British fabrics are nothing new to me.”

He walked over and placed the organized documents on Arthur’s desk. “Sir, as you requested, Bernie Harrison’s whereabouts are now under our surveillance. If the Reform Bill is rejected tomorrow, and Earl Grey really requests the dissolution of Parliament, as soon as he steps out of the House of Commons, we’ll immediately arrest him.”

Arthur heard this and simply took a sip of tea from his porcelain cup. “Louis, no need to rush. Things don’t need to be done as efficiently in Britain as they are in France. Take it easy.”

Louis Bonaparte raised an eyebrow and asked, “So, what do you mean?”

“Let Mr. Harrison go home and see his wife and children at least. Besides, it’s not good to do it in front of so many MPs. Of course, letting Mr. Harrison go home to say goodbye doesn’t mean letting him step into his house. If he really steps into his house, we have to apply for a search warrant again, which would be quite troublesome.”

Louis Bonaparte heard this and just frowned. “Doing things in Britain is really full of rules and regulations. There’s so much incriminating evidence against Harrison. Why bother with all this trouble? Just bring him in directly.”

Arthur said, “It can’t be helped. In Britain, at least on the surface, we have to follow the rules. Since there are rules, we have to follow them. As for whether the rules are right or wrong, that’s for the MPs to discuss. We’re just implementing the great decisions of the Cabinet and Parliament.”

Louis Bonaparte heard this and momentarily wanted to discuss something with Arthur.

After hesitating for a while, he pulled out a folded document from his pocket and placed it on Arthur’s desk. “After we talked the other day, I had some new ideas. I’ve added them to the new draft. If… I mean, if you think it’s good, can you recommend it to *The Englishman*?”

Arthur glanced at the manuscript in his hand, and it was filled with several paragraphs.

The establishment of government is to help society overcome obstacles that hinder its progress…

Government is not, as a famous economist has said, a necessary evil, but a beneficial promoter of all social organizations…

What is sustainable is good. What lasts the longest is the best for this group of people…

Caesar of Rome must have wanted to preserve the form of the Republic, while Napoleon of France rebuilt the monarchy…

To avoid the lack of stability and continuity, which is the greatest defect of democratic republics, it is necessary to establish a hereditary family, which serves as the guardian of the common good, but its power should be entirely based on the democratic spirit of the people…

Britain is conservative because they have something worth conserving. Britain’s system has been preserved for centuries, and now they are the masters of the world’s oceans and the star of the Industrial Age. Their success has proven that the conservative British system is completely reasonable. But French conservatives, do you have anything to be proud of? As a party, you have no glorious precedents. What you are conserving today is what you overturned yesterday!

Arthur saw this and felt a headache coming on.

Although there was no censorship anymore, publishing this kind of stuff in *The Englishman* would definitely cause a lot of controversy.

Not to mention that Disraeli had just published a special edition in *The Englishman* to curry favor with the Tories, criticizing Earl Grey’s Whig government for being infatuated with France.

If they put another article by Louis Bonaparte in there now, wouldn’t it be like playing both sides?

Besides, *The Englishman* was originally intended to be an entertainment publication. What’s going on with all these political junkies wanting to show their stance in *The Englishman*?

Arthur thought about this and didn’t respond to Louis Bonaparte directly. Instead, he picked up another document from his desk and started to read it.

“Sir, is it because I’m not writing well?”

“No, it’s not that. It doesn’t affect whether you can publish it or not. I just think this kind of article is not suitable for *The Englishman*.”

“Then what is this in your hand?”

Arthur flipped through the manuscript and pointed at the name on it. “A manuscript sent to me by a friend of mine, a political economist named John Stuart Mill. He also wanted to publish this in *The Englishman*, but I think it’s really out of line with the founding principles of *The Englishman*.”

“This…” Louis Bonaparte heard this and was a bit deflated. “Okay, I understand what you mean.”

Arthur raised his hand to stop him. “No, I’m not rejecting it. I just think that if you must publish it, you might as well put it together in a supplement. Make it a striking title for the supplement, like *Napoleon’s Thoughts* or something like *The Economist*.”

Thanks to book friend Mega_Peccato for the Alliance Leader’s reward, there will be an extra chapter tomorrow!

(End of Chapter)